historical-fiction.com

Mistress of the Vatican

by Eleanor Herman

non-fiction

“We have just elected a female pope.”
—Cardinal Alessandro Bichi, 1644

“Today’s Roman Catholic Church firmly states that women must be excluded from church leadership positions, but they neglect to mention that for over a decade in the seventeenth century a woman unofficially, but openly, ran the Vatican. Now, Eleanor Herman, author of Sex with the Queen, exposes one of the church’s deepest secrets, laying bare facts that have been concealed for 350 years.

Beginning in 1644 and for eleven years after, Olimpia Maidalchini, sister-in-law and reputed mistress of the indecisive Pope Innocent X, directed Vatican business, appointed cardinals, negotiated with foreign ambassadors, and helped herself to a heaping portion of the Papal State’s treasury. Unlike the ninth century’s Pope Joan, whose life is shrouded in mystery, Olimpia’s story is documented in thousands of letters, news sheets, and diplomatic dispatches.

Knowing of Pope Innocent’s absolute dependence on his sister-in-law, Cardinal Alessandro Bichi angrily declared on the day of Innocent’s election, “We have just elected a female pope.” Mischievous Romans hung banners in churches calling her Pope Olimpia I. Cardinal Sforza Pallavicino bewailed the “monstrous power of a woman in the Vatican.” One contemporary wrote that women might as well become priests, since one of them was already pope.

Born in modest circumstances, Olimpia was almost forced into a convent at the age of fifteen due to the lack of a dowry. She used deceit to escape, and vowed never to be poor and powerless again. Throughout her life, Olimpia exacted excruciating vengeance on anyone who tried to lock her up or curb her power. But her grisly revenge on the pope who loved her would be reserved for after his death. . . .

Seventeenth-century Rome boasted the world’s most glorious art and glittering pageants but also suffered from famine, floods, swarms of locusts, and bubonic plague. Olimpia’s world was kleptocratic; everyone from the lowliest servant up to the pope’s august relatives unblushingly stole as much as they possibly could. Nepotism was rampant, and popes gave away huge sums and principalities to their nephews instead of helping the poor. Dead pontiffs were left naked on the Vatican floor because their servants had pilfered the bed and stripped the corpse. Mistress of the Vatican brings to life not only a woman, and a church, but an entire civilization in all its greatness . . . and all its ignominy.”

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I cannot decide how to word this review — it is a wonderful book. I sometimes check Amazon, B&N and Borders websites for more info when choosing books and this novel has been prominently featured on all of them with amazing reviews. There is also an article in a recent issue of People magazine.

I know this means little to many readers and I, myself, try not to judge a book by other’s opinions. But, as I found with the Harry Potter series, if there is an abundance of rave reviews, most likely the book is very good. That being said — you have my word that this is an excellent book!

I never write reviews in this fashion, so something has obviously prompted this variation.  I think it has something to do with the author having been an Editor/Librarian/Bookstore Employee.  You can tell she loved books and knew a great deal about Literature.  I use the past tense because Mary Ann Shaffer passed away earlier this year.

I’ll post the book description because I’m afraid I may give too much away writing my own.

“January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.”

I’m passing my copy on to my mom and then anyone else I can get to read it.  The story really affected me that much!

The Scandal of the Season

by Sophie Gee

“London, 1711. As the rich, young offspring of the city’s most fashionable families fill their days with masquerade balls and clandestine court-ships, Arabella Fermor and Robert, Lord Petre, lead the pursuit of pleasure. Beautiful and vain, Arabella is a clever coquette with a large circle of beaus. Lord Petre, seventh Baron of Ingatestone, is a man-about-town with his choice of mistresses. Drawn together by an overpowering attraction, the two begin an illicit affair.

Alexander Pope, sickly and nearly penniless, is peripheral by birth, yet his uncommon wit and ambition gain him unlikely entrance into high society. Once there, privy to every nuance and drama, he is a ruthless observer. He longs for the success that will cement his place in society; all he needs is one poem grand enough to make his reputation.

As the forbidden passion between Arabella and Lord Petre deepens, an intrigue of a darker nature threatens to overtake them. Fortunes change and reputations — even lives — are imperiled. In the aftermath, Pope discovers the idea for a daring poem that will catapult him to fame and fortune.”

The Secret Life of Josephine: Napoleon’s Bird of Paradise

by Carolly Erickson

“Born on the Caribbean island of Martinique, Josephine had an exotic Creole appeal that would ultimately propel her to reign over an empire as wife of the most powerful man in the world. But her life is a story of ambition and danger, of luck and a ferocious will to survive. Married young to an arrogant French aristocrat who died during the Terror, Josephine also narrowly missed losing her head to the guillotine. But her extraordinary charm, sensuality, and natural cunning helped her become mistress to some of the most powerful politicians in post-revolutionary France. Soon she had married the much younger General Bonaparte, whose armies garnered France an empire that ran from Europe to Africa and the New World and who crowned himself and his wife Emperor and Empress of France. He dominated on the battlefield and she presided over the worlds of fashion and glamor. But Josephine’s heart belonged to another man–the mysterious, compelling stranger who had won her as girl in Martinique.”

The Merry Monarch’s Wife

previously titled The Pleasures of Love

by Jean Plaidy

‘But when I consider the truth of her heart Such an innocent passion, so kind, without art I fear I have wronged her, and hope she may be So full of true love to be jealous of me O, then ’tis I think no joys are above The pleasures of Love.’

Charles II

Convent bred Catherine of Braganza was not prepared for the shock of Charles II’s licentious court when she set sail to England to become his queen. Her romantic ideal was accurate, but for the fact that she wasn’t the only woman loved by King Charles. He loved and respected her, but he could not give up his other loves and did not hide the fact or make excuses. One of the reasons I admire him so much is for his honesty, wit and wisdom. Though she did not produce an heir, which would have greatly lessened their religious and political troubles, Charles stuck by her through plots and schemes, treason and murder. Though Charles II is my favorite British monarch, I wasn’t too excited to read about his wife because it is well known that she was not a happy woman — but I was proved wrong. She came to terms with his behavior early in the story and he became a very likable companion . They were able to share the nation’s troubles, which were plenty with plague, the Great Fire and the Popish Plot.

Even if you’ve read Jean Plaidy’s The Loves of Charles II : A Health Unto His Majesty, The Merry Monarch’s Wife is an interesting read. It goes further into the Catholic situation with the Duke of York and Titus Oates.

Booking Through Thursday 

What are your favourite final sentences from books? Is there a book that you liked specially because of its last sentence? Or a book, perhaps that you didn’t like but still remember simply because of the last line?

For the first time in a long time I remembered to do BTT and it’s something I cannot answer.  I can’t come up with a single ending sentence from memory.  Usually it’s more of an ending paragraph or ending chapter that has an impact on me.  I like books that go further than the death of the main character, either through another character, news article or something similar.  As for the ending sentence, I think something poetic — something distinctive to the main character — always has a nice flow.

The Last Queen

by C. W. Gortner

“Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne, has been for centuries an enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth. Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time? In his stunning new novel, C. W. Gortner challenges the myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.

The third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, Juana is born amid her parents’ ruthless struggle to unify their kingdom, bearing witness to the fall of Granada and Columbus’s discoveries. At the age of sixteen, she is sent to wed Philip, the archduke of Flanders, as part of her parents’ strategy to strengthen Spain, just as her youngest sister, Catherine of Aragon, is sent to England to become the first wife of Henry VIII.

Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her handsome young husband, the sole heir to the Habsburg Empire. At first she is content with her children and her life in Flanders. But when tragedy strikes and she inherits the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband that grows to involve the major monarchs of Europe. Besieged by foes on all sides, her intelligence and pride used as weapons against her, Juana vows to secure her crown and save Spain from ruin, even if it could cost her everything.

With brilliant, lyrical prose, novelist and historian C. W. Gortner conjures Juana through her own words, taking the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts ofFlanders, France, and Tudor England. The Last Queen brings to life all the grandeur and drama of an incomparable era, and the singular humanity of this courageous, passionate princess whose fight to claim her birthright captivated the world.”

The Queen’s Lady

by Barbara Kyle

“London, 1527. Marry or serve: for Honor Larke, the choice is clear. Unwilling to perish of boredom as an obedient wife, she leaves the home of her ward, the brilliant Sir Thomas More, to attend Her Majesty, Queen Catherine of Aragon. But life at Henry VIII’s court holds more than artifice for an intelligent observer, and Honor knows how to watch–and when to act…

Angered by the humiliation heaped upon her mistress as Henry cavorts with Anne Boleyn and presses Rome for a divorce, Honor volunteers to carry letters to the Queen’s allies. It’s a risky game, but Honor is sure she’s playing it well–until she’s proven wrong. Richard Thornleigh may cut a dashing figure at court, but Honor isn’t taken in by his reckless charm. Only later does Honor realize that Richard has awakened something within her–and that he, too, has something to hide…

For the King’s actions are merely one knot in a twisted web that stretches across Europe, ensnaring everyone from the lowliest of peasants to the most powerful of nobles. Swept away in a tide of intrigue and danger, the Queen’s lady is about to learn everything: about pride, passion, greed–and the conscience of the king…”

Mistress of the Sun

by Sandra Gulland

Louise de la Valliere, nicknamed Petite for her small stature, is just a child of six when she delves into the black arts to calm a wild horse. Not knowing the repercussions of such an act, her life takes a downward turn as her beloved father dies a mysterious death and her hopes of joining her aunt at a convent are quelled by her mother’s ambitious second husband.

Serving as waiting maid to Marguerite, a princess of the blood, she finds friends and solace through horses once again. A chance meeting with the king interests her in the exciting life at his court — one she never expected. She soon stands out as a horse charmer and hunter, a perfect match for young Louis.

They must keep their relationship secret, for the Queen Mother frowns upon any act that may upset the people’s view of their gallant king. After four pregnancies and many trials in their relationship, Petite must find a way to hold the king or let him go.

I was not as impressed with this novel as the Josephine B. trilogy. The writing style is similar — common details you don’t find in many books (use of privy, eating habits, ailments) are described and give it a down-to-earth atmosphere, but I don’t feel Petite was well-rounded enough as the protagonist. She didn’t have enough strengths to be a true heroine. The story, however, was interesting and suspenseful and the setting accurately described.  It is a worthwhile read for fans of the history of France and it’s eccentric kings.

To Hold the Crown

by Jean Plaidy

(reissue, previously titled Uneasy Lies the Head)

October 7, 2008

“From exile and war to love and loss—every dynasty has a beginning.

Henry Tudor was not born to the throne of England. Having come of age in a time of political turmoil and danger, the man who would become Henry VII spent fourteen years in exile in Brittany before returning triumphantly to the Dorset coast with a small army and decisively winning the Battle of Bosworth Field—ending the War of the Roses once and for all and launching the infamous Tudor dynasty.

As Henry’s claim to the throne was tenuous, his marriage to Elizabeth of York, daughter and direct heir of King Edward IV, not only served to unify the warring houses, it also helped Henry secure the throne for himself and for generations to come. And though their union was born from political necessity, it became a wonderful love story that led to seven children and twenty happy years together.

Sweeping and dramatic, To Hold the Crown brings readers inside the genesis of the great Tudor empire: through Henry and Elizabeth’s troubled ascensions to the throne, their marriage and rule, the heartbreak caused by the death of their son Arthur, and, ultimately, to the crowning of their younger son, King Henry VIII.”

This is one of my favorite Plaidy novels and I’m excited to see the new, attractive cover. My copy of Uneasy Lies the Head is an ex-library and none too attractive. It’s been at least 3 years since I read it though and I’d rather not try to write a review until I’ve re-read it. I do recall that I liked the character of Henry VII, which I cannot say of other novels in which he is featured. This book will be released October 7, 2008.

More new reissues are featured at Three Rivers Press. I’m interested in the one titled The King’s Confidant: The Story of the Daughter of Sir Thomas More. I believe it would have to be a reissue of Plaidy’s novel titled Meg Roper: Daughter of Sir Thomas More, which according to some sources is a children’s novel. Unfortunately it doesn’t come out until April 2009. I really like the new covers — I’m going to have double copies of several books I’m afraid!